


What We Are

by CabbageLord



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Gen, I love this family, Lightningweek, lightning lowkey gets roasted but its okay, theyre on pulse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 03:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18792148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabbageLord/pseuds/CabbageLord
Summary: Our favorite L'Cie spend time together around a campfire, and Lightning soon has some time to think for herself.





	What We Are

**Author's Note:**

> So this right here is for LightningWeek, Day 4, with the theme of Found Family. I'm a day late on this, ughh. Thankfully I finally have it done, so I can post it uwu. Hope you enjoy!!

 

"I swear! The bear was this big!" Vanille shouted, raising her arms to prove her point.

 

 

It had gotten late, and our rag tag group of L'Cie decided to finally set up camp for the night. On a world like Pulse, it's pretty hard to find the perfect space to spend the night, but they managed to make it work after defeating some monsters to clean up the area.

 

 

Sazh had gotten a fire going, and Snow made quick work of going out with Fang to find some extra firewood. While Vanille and Lightning were setting up spaces for everyone to get comfortable, Hope used Light's knife, with her permission of course, to slice up the fruit he had collected for everyone to eat as their dinner. Special melons well known and popular on Pulse, according to Vanille. Apparently they were hard to come by before, but nowadays, they grew everywhere, so it was no problem to collect a few of the melons for everyone to eat.

 

 

In no time at all, everyone was full and sated, fruit satisfying their hunger and the juice from it quenching their thirst. Now here they sat, in a circle around a fire, listening to Vanille going over the story about the time she killed a bear. The same bear who's pelt she wore around her waist.

 

 

"No way, a bear that big? Can't believe it." Sazh chuckled, sitting on his discarded coat as he rested his back against a log Lightning had dragged over earlier. Chocobo was sound asleep in his lap, opting for the warmth of the fire rather than the warmth of Sazh's hair for the night.

 

 

"It's true, animals like those come in big sizes here on Pulse, your Cocoon beasts can't even begin to compare!" Fang spoke up, backing up her childhood companion with a grin. She of course knew Vanille was telling the truth, both about the size of the bear, and the fact that she had beaten it all on her own.

 

 

"Go on Vanille, tell them what happens next!" Fang continued, after Sazh let out another laugh.

 

 

Sitting on her legs next to the older woman, Vanille nods.

 

 

"Anyways, so there I was, minding my own business, checking to see if there were any berries in the bushes, when all of a sudden? I hear loud footsteps in the grass behind me!" the red head proved to be very expressive with her hands whenever she told a story. It was quite entertaining, yes, but it also helped to keep everyone interested in what she had to say.

 

 

"Then what? Oh, don't tell me! You turned right around and got 'em right in the nose, right? Come on Vanille, I know you got a mean left hook!" Snow cuts in, his own hands being kept busy in folding and unfolding his bandana that he took off his head for the night, letting his blonde locks fly freely in the crisp night air.

 

 

Vanille has proven quite a few times that she has superb upper body strength. If she had punched the bear? No one would be surprised. Snow was getting ready to bet gil on it.

 

 

Vanille giggled and shook her head.

 

 

"Nono, nothing like that!" she responds. She makes a show of clearing her throat, and the rest of the party leans forward just a bit, anticipating what came next.

 

 

"So, when I turn around and see the bear, I high tail it out of there! But the bear was set on making me it's dinner and chased me, the jerk!" there's chuckling at Vanille's pout.

 

 

"Eventually I got too tired, and hid behind a bush. I was so scared, and was certain I was going to be found when the bear started sniffing at the bush I hid behind. So, I quickly looked around, and low and behold, I found a stick."

 

 

Vanille reaches around the fire for the stick Lightning had been using to poke at it with, and takes it into her hands. She clutches her hands around one end, like one would a knife handle, and holds it above her head.

 

 

"As soon as the bear got close enough, I jumped out from behind the bush, thick stick in hand and just WHAAAA!" Vanille harshly stabs the stick into the dirt, the feeble piece breaking in two as soon as it made contact.

 

 

There's enthusiastic responses all around, save for Lightning, who simply let's out a breath she hasn't realized she had been holding. Boy, that was some story...

 

 

While still listening to her comrades talk, the pinkette reaches for one of her discarded pieces of melon.

 

 

"I found Vanille just as she was done putting the poor bastard out of its misery. Shoulda seen it, skull caved in with a stick poking out right in between its ears." Fang snickers at the disgusted noises from Hope and Sazh. Snow merely whistled in awe.

 

 

"Yeah, but the elders were really angry at me for going off on my own like that, and they whipped me so hard I cried. However, after all the abuse my poor bum got, they let me keep whatever I wanted from the bear before they skinned and cooked it for everyone to share."

 

 

"So, you chose to keep the bear's skin, and wear it." Hope concluded, picking at the bandana around his wrist.

 

 

"Sorta like...a token of your victory?"

 

 

"That's right!" Vanille chirped, nodding.

 

 

"Did you...clean it before wearing it?"

 

 

"Of course I did! The pelt was still all bloody and nasty, I made sure to wash it with the best soap I could find!"

 

 

There's a crunch, and a moment of silence that cuts off the conversation the young ones were having. Lightning raises her brows when everyone turns to look at her.

 

 

"What?" she asks, after she's done chewing and swallows.

 

 

"Light, what are you doing?" Fang asks.

 

 

"I'm eating my melon?" Lightning's tone is confused. Was there something wrong about her eating what she had left while everyone else didn't? She didn't see anything wrong with it...

 

 

"You're eating your rind." Hope points out, head tilted as he looked at the thick skin Light held in her hands, the fruit inside long gone.

 

 

"I am." Lightning quirks her brow. "Is that a problem?"

 

 

Vanille is giggling.

 

 

"No, it's just, we never pegged you as the type to eat the rinds of melons."

 

 

Lightning tries to retort, but ends up keeping her mouth shut when she realizes that she didn't know what to say. The rest of the party begin to laugh when noticing the telltale signs of blushing on her face. Their laughter only caused the color on her cheeks to darken.

 

 

"Oh man, I remember Serah mentioning something about this!" Snow suddenly pipes up after he's finished laughing.

 

 

"She mentioned Light as the type to not waste food. I guess she really was right, huh Sis?"

 

 

"Oh hush you!" Lightning retorts with narrowed eyes.

 

 

"Okay okay, come on now guys, let's give Soldier Girl some space." Sazh pipes up, his finger lazily scratching at Chocobo's head, who sleepily 'kweh'ed but never stirred.

 

 

"Melon rinds are supposed to be very healthy and safe to eat. I used to put them in my mid day smoothies. Grind 'em up and drink 'em. Let's cut Lightning some slack."

 

 

"Thank you, Sazh." Lightning breathes.

 

 

"Although, I have to say I have never seen someone eat the rind like you. Just straight after eating what's inside. Now that's odd." a teasing grin forms on Sazh's lips.

 

 

"I didn't come here to be attacked like this."

 

 

"You heard it here first folks! Sunshine over here eats rinds. What's next? She eats veggies she pulls straight out of the ground without washing them?" Vanille and Hope laugh at Fang's teasing.

 

 

Lightning takes another bite of her rind, crunching and murmuring through it.

 

 

"This is slander, I don't appreciate it."

* * *

Lightning stayed silent as she kept her eyes fixed on the dying flames of the fire they had set up earlier. The only noise she could hear was the quiet snores of her companions, the cries of...cicadas? Then the last few snaps and crackles of the fire as it struggled to keep itself alive.

 

With a sigh, Lightning closes her eyes for a moment, leaning back against a large piece of a tree trunk Snow had dragged over just for her from firewood collecting with Fang. Yes, she thanked him for it.

 

It was her turn to keep watch for the night, and the pinkette had no qualms about it. She's used to doing stuff like this after all, her having been a soldier and all that. Thankfully, nothing seems to be prowling about anywhere near them, so maybe she can try and get a couple minutes of sleep later without feeling guilty.

 

 

It's not everyday Lightning ends the day in such a good mood. The quality time she spent with her companions earlier tonight was...entertaining. Even if the source of entertainment changed from stories to jokes about her. She's used to stuff like that, so it didn't bother her so. A part of Lightning is...glad that they felt comfortable enough to tease her. It proves just how close she had gotten to everybody here.

 

 

Lightning takes the moment to sweep her gaze around, taking in the view of her companions all fast asleep. Vanille and Hope were huddled close together. Fang was right on the other side of the red head, sitting up with her head lolling onto her shoulder. She kept a careful hand on Vanille's thigh.

 

 

Across from them, Sazh had put his coat back on, and lay on his side facing away. From where she sat, Lightning could see the small and fluffy backside of his chocobo that now lay tuck in the curve of the older man's neck.

 

 

Then finally Snow, who seemed to be a very quiet sleeper, despite what one might think. Lightning would have deemed Snow as the type to snore loudly but, she was proven to be wrong early on in this adventure. The blonde was sitting up, arms crossed as his chin fell against his chest, breathing lightly.

 

 

Seeing all of them looking so peaceful while they slept gave Lightning a warm feeling. Either that or it could have been the still kicking fire. No, it couldn't have been.

 

 

The pinkette can't help the swelling of her heart when looking at all of her new...friends.

 

 

Oh man, they definitely all had a rough start. After becoming L'Cie, no one really wanted anything to do with each other. Well, it was sort of like that in their short time together before becoming L'Cie too. And those who tried to make lightly of the situation had their efforts shot down.

 

 

Lightning was one who didn't care for anyone else. All that mattered was Serah, and only Serah. She pushed everyone away, was harsh to them, but...

 

 

It started with Hope, but eventually, Lightning found herself opening up, accepting these new people into her life. Hell, she's finally on good terms with Snow now, something she never would have thought possible back then.

 

 

Lightning looks at Blazefire Saber, fit snugly in it's case at her side, and gives another sigh. This one more quieter than the one from before.

 

 

For some reason, it doesn't feel right to call them her friends. Lightning feels...something much more stronger for these new people she has in her life. Friendship doesn't even begin to cover their relationship with each other.

 

 

They're more like-like family to her.

 

 

Lightning feels a small smile play at her lips. Yes, that suits them much better. Family. A dysfunctional, crazy, loud family. But they're perfect. Everyone is there for each other, everyone is ready to protect each other, to fight for what's right. If that's not family, Lightning doesn't know what is.

 

 

Lightning directs her gaze upwards towards the sky, eyes searching until they finally land on Cocoon, hanging silently in the sky.

 

 

"Serah...are you proud of me?"

 

 

There's no answer, but Lightning never expected one. She would like to think her baby sister really is proud of her. For finding new people that she wishes to protect.

 

 

Maybe when Serah finally comes back, they can all do something together. Sazh's son too.

 

 

A strong gust of wind passes by, ruffling her hair.

 

 

And the fire finally goes out.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Lightning and I love the rest of the L'Cie squad. They are my babies.
> 
> But yeah, sorry if this isn't the best y'all. I hope you all enjoyed tho!! Please leave a comment or whatever if you want, I love those ;w;
> 
> If you want, come follow me or just say hi on twitter @CabbageLord1, on tumblr @protectcabba2k, or on my ff blog @givelightningherharem.  
> Or if you're interested in seeing the other stuff people have created for Lightning Week, please go over and check out @lightningfarronweek!


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